CD Details

Released: June 8, 1998

Label: Atlantic

Entertainment Reviews:

Rolling Stone - 7/9-23/98, p.136

3 Stars (out of 5) - "...Brandy exudes more pizazz than the Hanson brothers combined and bursts with enough naive charm to make Jewel look like a jaded sailor. Her second album bubbles with that same effervescence..."

Entertainment Weekly - 6/12/98, p.77

"...Although her soft, smoky voice is better suited to a croon, there are moments in the gospel-fired 'One Voice' that find her effortlessly raising the roof. But she'd rather play it low-key and go with the groove..." - Rating: B

The Source - 7/98, p.168

"...Brandy's R&B/Pop sound ignites a fire within that expresses every female on the brink of womanhood's need to be heard..."

NEVER SAY NEVER was nominated for a 1999 Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. "The Boy Is Mine" won the 1999 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal, and was nominated for Record Of The Year and Best R&B Song. "Almost Doesn't Count" was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.

Avoiding the dreaded sophomore slump, Brandy delivers a fresh-sounding, well- crafted second album that sounds as much like pop as it does R&B. NEVER SAY NEVER features a song, "Have You Ever?," that was written by mega-songstress Diane Warren and produced by super-producer David Foster. The lead single, "The Boy is Mine" is a duet with fellow R&B'er Monica. Keeping up with the trend of big-time collaborations, multi-platinum rapper Mase makes an appearance on "Top of the World," which seems custom made for jeep jockeys.

Although sprinkled with other contributors, most of the album was produced by Rodney Jerkins. With a focus that is sometimes lost on a follow-up to a smashing debut, Brandy's composure and experience shine through in a product that is 16 songs deep. The album also contains a cover of "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)," produced by Foster.